I started out wanting to become a Flight Attendant (or Air Hostess as it was called back in the 70's). My dad went overseas a lot for work, and in my 5 year old mind, it meant I could go too. Then I wanted to be a hairdresser, but 2 weeks work experience in a salon with a creepy boss, washing the hair of whiney women, cured me of that. I started out in finance working at the head office of a big bank, then had a few jobs all in the accounts area. Working 9-5 with a bunch of office bitches all day is soul destroying. I moved on to community-type work, as a Probation Officer for juvenile offenders - even more soul destroying than the office bitches. Now I'm a critical care nurse, and I feel like I'm finally home. My kids have pretty cool aspirations. My son has wanted to be a vet for as long as he could form words. My daughter has had a few changes of mind, in order: Pilot Astronaut Archeologist Marine Biologist Police Officer
In kindergarten we had to write out our "career plans." My dad was coaching high school basketball and his team was on the verge of playing for the state championship. Like every little kid, I idolized my dad. So, on my paper I scribbled as neatly as my 6 year old fingers could manage, when I grow up I want to be a baksetball (sic) coach just like my Daddy! Or a catamapiller! (sic) My mom actually saved and framed the paper and the day I got hired to be a high school coach, gave it to me as a present. It now sits on the desk in my office. I loved the video game Centipede growing up, which was the rationale for wanting to be a "catamapiller." Later on, the greatest thrill of my life would be when Ralph made the same career declaration in The Simpsons. Hopefully he's more succesful on his attempt than I was.
I wanted to be a doctor because I thought they made a lot of money, then I realized I would have to go to school for 10 years so I quickly axed the idea. Now I realize what makes me happy and so I don't care that I will never have a career, because I can't imagine rotting away in an office staring at a computer screen or filing or whatever it is you monkeys do.
Believe it or not, you weren't the only one. All I did when I was little was read books about outer space. It has always been a lifelong passion of mine. Unfortunately, I realized in college that I simply didn't have the mathematical aptitude required to go forward in the subject. Instead I fell in love with Behavioral and Experimental Economics. Still on that path luckily. Hopefully I don't fuck it up.
Like most girls between the ages of 3 and 11, I wanted to be a marine biologist. Then I grew out of that and just decided that whatever I did, I wanted to work outside. Now I am a field archaeologist diggin' for a (very meager) livin'. My sister is a marine biologist, so at least one of us stuck to the plan.
I wanted to be a stuntman. One night when I was very small and stupid my dad saved my life because I tried to leap down the stairs due to the fact that I thought I was The Greatest American Hero.
My mom teaches second grade in what is rapidly turning into a lower-class district. She recently had the kids "write a paper" about what they want to be when they grow up. More than half the boys said they wanted to work at Gamestop. The girls were a little better. Some were nurses, some teachers. One girl even wanted to be President. Five girls though (out of 14) wrote some variation of sitting on the couch, smoking, and watching Jerry Springer or Days of our Lives. Fucking awesome.
That reminds me of my friend who teaches 8th grade and on Halloween most of the boys were pimps and the girls were mainly hos. When I was little I remember playing with dead Nazi stuff a relative brought back from WWII and had stored in a trunk. I wanted to be a soldier then. Later, I wanted to be a spy or a super hero. Then a monster--I remember writing up some dumb prayer that was supposed to turn me into a werewolf. As I got older I wanted to be an architect like my grandfather. To date, I have never professionally done anything close to the above-listed. I do, however, get paid to mostly do nothing, which was mostly what I was doing when I dreamed of becoming those other things.
I always looked up to my dad, as he was a cop ( Air Force, but LEO all the same.) Fast forward to 2 dead end jobs, and then getting my foot in the door where I'm at now. Don't be fooled, law enforcement is hard to get into without either knowing someone or, well, knowing someone. So basically I never really stopped playing cops and robbers.
I could never settle of a dream job as a kid. Aside from being a rock star. I took music in school and college, learned the cello, taught myself guitar but it always stayed a hobby, a hobby I took very seriously. So with uni done with, I'm working at a pub during the day and a club through the nights, I also distribute a self published book, do the occasional editing job and teach guitar to a few people in what spare time I get. Still keeping the rock dream alive though. Kept up playing guitar and will be picking up the cello again next month. I realised that I wasn't getting any younger and that if there is any chance of me becoming a professional musician, I've got to take it seriously and just fucking go all out and dedicate as much time as possible to achieving my goal. I may have the talent, but thats worthless if I don't have the dedication.
When I was 4 years old, and up to about the age of 10, I wanted to be a figure skater. My mom even sent me to lessons. I quickly realized I do not have the grace for that type of thing. Now I'm beginning a career as a Paralegal.
Might not really be on-topic, but close enough I think. When I was 5 my upper-class, country-clubbing grandmother wanted me get some "culture", and so arranged for me to have violin lessons. These weren't just your typical Suzuki lessons being thrown at the local high school, these lessons were one-on-one with a 65 year-old master conductor of the Jewish Philharmonic in Ottawa. And there were 40 kids trying to get in as his student, and he was only accepting 4, and we had to be interviewed. Well, we made it through the interview process just fine, and were one of the 10 that got to meet him in person. So there I am, with my mother, being interviewed by this old guy that looked like Einstein, and he gets around to the question of "How long have you wanted to play the violin?" Really? I was 5. My answer was, "I don't want to play the violin." He looked a bit surprised by this answer, and my mother was slightly apoplectic. "Is there a musical instrument you'd like to play?" he asked. "Yes... the bagpipes!". At this point my mother practically dies from embarassment, and starts to get up to go as she's sure the interview is toast. At that point, Dr. Weisborg absolutely beams, and says, "Oh? I absolutely LOVE the bagpipes!" He then proceeds to go to a cabinet and pulls out an ivory chanter, and explains that this was presented to him by the Commander of the Black Watch, etc., etc. Much to my mother's amazement, I was accepted, and spent the next 4 years learning how to play the violin. And when I went to Military college, I did actually learn to play the pipes.
I wanted to be a jockey. My stepdad destroyed me when he let me know that at 12 years old, I was already too tall to be one. I also submitted stories to publishing companies, to which I received replies to try again when I completed high school. I'm working on the writing now though..
As a kid, my mind jumped quite a bit. I wanted to be a video game programmer, video game tester, pro athlete, rock star, veterinarian, teacher, doctor, lawyer and cop. In high school, I started looking into sports medicine and becoming an athletic trainer. Now, I have one semester of college left before graduating with a degree in economics and Spanish. I would like to work in sports, it's just going to be tough getting into the industry.
I have no memory of this, but apparently when I was 11 or 12 my grandfather asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said an architect. He said something to the effect of, "Well, honey, I don't know anybody who's ever made any money at it. Typically they haven't got a clue what they're doing." I guess my mom was super pissed because from that moment onwards I had no interest in becoming an architect. Thank god for Grandpa, though, because truer words were never spoken. The drawings that I typically see contain many...errors, shall we say.
In 5th grade we had to do a presentation of what we wanted to be when we "grew up". I chose a veterinarian. That lasted a few years and then I realized that I would have to do deal with animals I don't like and am allergic to (cats mostly). Well that and the fact that vets don't make all that much money. I also had dreams of having enough money to live in a mansion that my family built for me. Clearly I was way to worried about money. In high school I had dreams about being an engineer or architecture. This started me on the path of doing two years at university majoring in Civil Engineering. Once I realized I hated every class I had, and completed all the math and physics classes I needed, I decided to switch to Marketing. I enjoy understand why people do the things they do like buy shit and like certain products over others, statistics, demographics, and watching commercials. Hopefully this turns out well when I'm done with my degree in 6 months and try to find a job in the field of marketing.
The most realistic dream I had was to be an Architect. I thought it was a very grand dream to be able to design and build buildings. It was an awesome dream, until I got denied from Architecture School. My father and I set up a meeting with the Dean of Architecture and the Dean of Engineering (assuming that they were in the same school). We very quickly learned that I didn't actually want to be an architect, not of the modern sort at least. It turns out that most modern Architects are little more than poofed up artists (of the worst stereotypical kind). 95% of all you see in a building from conceptual stages to completed product is the result of competent engineers in several different focuses. My dream was to actually be an Architectural Engineer.
My very first career aspiration was to be an explorer. I guess I didn't really grasp the concept that most of the exploring had been done centuries ago. After that I pretty much wanted to write, although in the beginning I wanted to lean more toward the novelist side of things. Then I had a couple of years where I wanted to be a psychologist because I was fascinated with how people are what they are. After realizing that I didn't want to listen to people complain for a living, I considered being on more of the research side. But I am in no way a scientist. So, I was lost for a little bit, because I still wanted to write but was realistic about the number of successful novelists. Then I figured out that I could turn my lifelong obsession with magazines into a career so now I'm working towards magazine journalism or publishing. I've also developed sort of a backup plan of teaching. In my fantasy world I'd also be looking for jobs as a stylist, but I'd really like a career that has a bit more meaning than that.
When I was 5 I wanted to be a firefighter because Brad, the cutest boy in kindergarten, wanted to be one. My career aspirations later turned to actress, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, and doctor. My little brother used to walk around the house with a garbage can and eating kitty food. He wanted to be either a garbage man or a bum. My parents were thrilled when he grew out of it.